Neena Gupta OPENS up on male dominance through personal stories; 'Women still touch their father-in-law’s feet after'

Neena Gupta, known for speaking her mind, recently opened up about how deep-rooted male dominance continues to affect women in India. The actress noted that while society often claims progress, marriage still limits many women’s independence, with their choices overshadowed by familial expectations and the influence of in-laws.

Neena Gupta on society’s obsession with purity

During her chat with Shubhankar Mishra, Neena expressed that while India has evolved in many ways, certain traditional beliefs still hold strong. She shed light on society’s ongoing obsession with purity, saying, “They want a virgin wife.” When questioned about whether virginity still matters in contemporary India, Neena didn’t hold back. “What has changed now? Are you talking about India? Who says that people are open? A lot of things have not changed in our country. Women still touch their father-in-law’s feet after putting pallu over their heads. You and I are minorities, we are not the real India. People like us who dress well and talk nicely are not India," she said, reminding listeners that the reality outside urban circles is often very different.

Neena Gupta shares family incident to explain control

She recounted a personal story from her relatives and shared, “I’ll give you an example. A relative on my father’s side got married to a guy in Mumbai who worked in a big financial company. Once my father called the boy, the girl, and her family to his house to talk to the couple because the girl refused to live with the guy and his family in Mumbai. The girl worshipped Sai Baba, so she put his picture in their room, but her mother-in-law didn’t allow her to keep that picture and told her to put up the picture of the guru that they worship."


Sharing another example, she stated, “I’ll give you another example. My niece was told by her mother-in-law that she cannot put her family photo on her bedside table. We have a long way to go when it comes to changing the condition of women in the country."

Neena Gupta’s recent work

On the work front, Neena Gupta was last seen in the film 'Vadh 2', alongside Sanjay Mishra.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”